Top 5 Reasons to Visit Belgium

Guest Post

Belgium is one of the most underrated holiday destinations in Europe. There are so many reasons to visit this amazing country; from beautiful cities to fantastic festivals and world-famous chocolate, this small country has it all. Although by no means exhaustive, here are my top 5 reasons why you should visit Belgium.

Festivals and Christmas Markets

Belgium hosts so many festivals that throughout the year there is almost always something happening. If you’re a fan of rock music you should know that Belgium hosts Rock Werchter, one of Europe’s top music festivals that features four days of world class performances. The city of Ghent holds the annual Gentse Feesten which is a very popular music and theatre festival that attracts over 2 million visitors every year.

In November and December the Brussels Winter Wonders is open and includes rides and the famous Christmas market where you can buy all sorts of Christmas gifts, novelties and souvenirs.

Beer

Belgium has hundreds of unique breweries that produce some of the world’s most famous and unusual beers. Trappist monastery beers are one of the more popular peculiarities and by regulation require the involvement of Trappist monks in the brewing process.There are also the lambic beers which are created by spontaneous fermentation, using wild bacteria and yeasts!

With so much variety, it’s fortunate that you don’t have to go to every town to try every beer and instead you can attend one of the many annual beer festivals. The Brussels Beer Weekend is one of the most popular of these festivals and offers an opportunity to taste and enjoy a vast range of authentic Belgian beers.

Chocolates, Moules and Frites

Belgian chocolates. If you aren’t conjuring up the mouth-watering images and flavours already then you either have ageusia (the inability to taste) or have simply never tasted them! This is not some marketing ploy either, Belgian chocolates are genuinely different from other chocolates in a number of respects.

The Belgian chocolatiers still use traditional chocolate making methods and shy away from modern techniques like adding a lot of milk and sugar. They do not let the chocolate cool before it is finished so as to preserve as much of the flavour as possible. Chocolates aside, Belgium also has great “moules et frites” (mussels and chips) which do well to compliment the delicious beer on offer.

Cultural Attractions and Night Life

Belgium has a number of great cultural attractions and oddities. The ‘manneken pis’ (literally “little man pee”) is one such oddity and is quite simply a statue of a small boy peeing into a fountain! When the festivals or seasonal celebrations are running, the statue is dressed up in costume for the duration of the event.

If you’re looking for something slightly more civilized you needn’t worry, Brussels is home to the famous Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. In this museum you will find an abundance of famous Flemish works including a wealth of paintings by Van Dyck and Ruben – a must see for all art fanatics!

Other notable cultural attractions include the Musical Instruments Museum which exhibits thousands of fascinating musical instruments from across the globe, as well as the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip which features unique exhibits as well as an extensive library.

Architecture and Historical Cities

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Belgium is the architecture which has been meticulously protected, restored and maintained by the Belgian people over the centuries. The effect of this is an unparalleled medieval atmosphere in Bruges where crisscrossing cobblestone streets are complemented by peaceful canals, and with the city’s impressive fortifications you can be safe in the knowledge that the Viking marauders will not get to you.

Gravensteen, also known as the “castle of the count”, is a picturesque castle in Ghent which has stood for over 800 years and has been used in the past as a courthouse, a prison, and even a factory. The castle has been restored to its former glory and is well worth visiting.

If you value the book over the sword I’d recommend taking a look at the Cathedral of Our Lady, a magnificent Gothic styled cathedral in Antwerp. The cathedral dominates the city’s landscape, making it useful for navigation if you get lost!

So ask yourself this: why haven’t you packed your bags, booked your flights and your travel insurance for Europe yet? 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.